Saving energy benefits the environment and your wallet. We also work as energy efficiently as possible and thus make a daily contribution to climate protection. Our energy advisers will be happy to inform you free of charge about possible energysaving measures.
1. Get an overview of your consumption
Write down the electricity meter reading every day for a fortnight, around the same time, and calculate the daily consumption. This way you can also check the success of your measures in saving electricity.
2. Tips in the kitchen
3. Living and working from home
4. In the bathroom
Idle power losses occur in many appliances – for instance, satellite receivers, plug-in power supplies, answering machines, cordless telephones, computers, DVD recorders, DVB-T receivers and DSL routers. If possible, disconnect these devices from the mains when not in use.
When buying a new appliance, look at the consumption data or EU labels with energy efficiency class A. Calculated over the total lifetime of an appliance, the resulting electricity costs are often higher than the purchase price.
1. Do you know your consumption?
Saving starts when you take a critical look at your consumption. Do you know right away how high your energy consumption is? Take a close look at your energy bill. Even if it takes time, it’s worth it!
2. Heat the house, not the cellar
If the heating system is outside the living area or in unused rooms such as the boiler room, the boiler, water heater and heating and hot water pipes should be insulated. By the way, you can insulate pipes yourself at low cost. A visit to the DIY store is worthwhile!
3. Avoid heat loss
Closed roller shutters and curtains reduce heat loss through windows. Insulated radiator niches save up to 4 % on heating costs.
4. Proper heating saves real money
Some people like it hot and are surprised later about high heating costs. For every degree less in room temperature, you save around 6 % in heating costs.
Have your heating system serviced regularly, as this saves up to 15 % energy – and increases operational reliability. Cleaning and venting the radiators at the beginning of the heating season also saves money.
Do your radiators heat unevenly? Then hydraulic balancing of the heating system may help. This can reduce energy consumption by up to 15 %. The federal government subsidises one-fifth of the costs for private households.
Panelling in front of radiators prevents heat from spreading through the room. Curtains, misplaced furniture or towels laid out to dry absorb up to 20 % of the heat.
With water flow limiters, hot water costs can easily be reduced by up to 30 % without sacrificing comfort.
At night, a room temperature of 16 to 18°C is sufficient in living quarters. This easily saves 10 to 20 % energy. Use the ‘night setback’ of the heating even if you are absent for a longer period of time.
A modern condensing boiler uses up to 30 % less energy – even significantly less when combined with solar thermal technology.
The energy and water costs for a full bath are about three times higher than for a shower.
Fresh air is crucial for a healthy indoor climate. The best way to air a room is to ‘shock- or cross-ventilate’; windows that are constantly tilted increase heating costs unnecessarily. During the heating season, you should ventilate four times a day for about five minutes – and briefly after showering and cooking. And close the thermostatic valves on the radiators while airing!
